PEORIA, Ariz. — Ask anyone who knows, and they will tell you that the most coveted card from Topps’ 2001 set is No. 726 — the rookie card for Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. The Ichiro card was the gem of the 790-card set, easily the priciest during the time when highly desired baseball cards still fetched a pretty penny.

The monetary worth of card No. 746 didn’t rate nearly as high. The split card featured two players who were part of Topps’ Chrome Draft Picks collection, an attempt by the venerable brand to peg baseball’s next big things.

On the right is 17-year-old Edwin Encarnación, months removed from being drafted by the Rangers. The picture was shot in the fall of 2000, with Encarnación in Florida for an instructional league. He was still a baby-faced kid from the Dominican Republic looking to fit in while fighting pangs of homesickness.

“I was looking for my dream,” Encarnación said the other day, holding the card in his hands...